In the past distributors have provided traditional services such as warehousing, fulfillment, credit and basic technical support. Today, these services are standard offerings that the channel expect and demand. But for a hard-to-please reseller intent on making his business shine, the evolved value-added distributor makes all the difference.
p____p Day after day much of a reseller’s or solution provider’s time is spent focusing on marketing, lead generation, systems integration, etc., that there is hardly any room left for developing and nurturing customer relationships and closing sales, which should be the primary concern.
p____p In the recent economical times, with companies increasingly looking to lower cost, it is of little wonder that value added services are waning off the scene. With the mind-set that price is everything and also taking into account the heated price wars in the market, the channel has begun to take phrases such as “partnering” and “selling value-added” as clichés.
p____p Value-added selling is not a cliché. It simply is a process and personal commitment that begins with the way each channel operator thinks and implements the same. The macroeconomics needed to develop the IT industry requires that each participant in the channel focus on its core strengths. Without the benefit of Value Added services to round out the skills of the channel, the results will easily display lower volumes, lower margins, and lower quality.
p____p Value add service has less to do with the company’s size but more with the attitude and commitment of the reseller. For all those who remain committed to the value added philosophy, it is not just about survival but profitability which is also ensured to those who are willing to put in that extra added effort.
p____p Despite technology and the complexity of changing business in sales, selling is still relationship management. Value added business philosophy will certainly appeal to those in the channel who would want to maintain their best customers and this is achieved with the enterprising skills, vigor, originality, and the inclination to improve every day.
p____p As vendors continue to focus on developing quality products, distributors keep providing and creating value-added services, and resellers maintain after-sales and customer service, the end result will be the growing maturation of the channel, that will ultimately result in benefiting the buyer.